South American Independence

The struggle for independence in Latin America during the first half of the nineteenth century was accompanied by wide-ranging debates about political rights, nationality, and citizenship. South American Independence investigates the neglected role of gender in that discussion.

Examining women writers from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia, the authors trace the contradictions inherent in revolutionary movements that, while arguing for the rights of all, remained ambivalent, at best, about the place of women. Through studies of both published and unpublished writings, South American Independence reveals the complex role of women in shaping the vexed ideologies of independence.